Welfare aims to provide a desirable standard of living through meeting social, economic, health and recreational needs. Labor welfare is a part of social welfare and aims to promote worker well-being through facilities like health care, food, housing, education and job security. It operates to counteract the negative effects of industrialization and urbanization. Labor welfare practices in India include provisions for sanitation, rest, feeding, medical care, childcare and housing assistance.

1. WELFARE a broad concept referring to the state of living of an individual or a group, in a desirable
relationship with the total environment­ ecological, economic and social. It includes both social and
economic contents of welfare. Social welfare is primarily concerned with the solutions of various problems
of the weaker sections of society like prevention of destitution and poverty. It aims at social development by
such means as social legislation, social reforms, social service, social work and social action. Goal is to fulfill
the social, financial, health and recreational requirements of all individuals in a society. Objective of
economic welfare is to promote economic development by increasing production and productivity and
through equitable distribution.
Labor Welfare This is the part of social welfare, conceptually and operationally. It covers a broad field and
connotes state of wellbeing, happiness, satisfaction, conservation and development of human resources.
This implies the setting up of minimum desirable standards and provision of facilities like health, food,
clothing, housing, medical assistance, education, insurance, job security, recreation etc. This operates to
neutralise the harmful effects of large scale industrialization and urbanization. LW work can be broadly
divided into two categories Statutory which consists of those provisions of welfare work which depend for
their implementation on the coercive power of government. Non statutory which consists of all those
activities which employers undertake for welfare of their workers on voluntary basis.
Man’s Economic History
Hunting and fishing stage
Pastoral stage
Agricultural stage
Handicrafts stage
Workshop stage
Modern Industry System
Large scale production
Availability of goods was limited
Economy was ‘closed’ (whatever is produced is consumed by who produce it)
Merchantile economy (when merchant comes between producer and consumer)
Guild System
Cottage industry
Spread of factory system
Textile, Iron and Coal industries developed
Collapse of cottage industries
In India collapse due to political reasons
Before independence the Cotton, Jute, Woollen and leather industries developed
Role of Swadeshi Movement
II World War & Industrial development
Shifts increased, technic improved, changes made to increase productivity
No attention on scientific planning
Industries set on adhoc basis
Malpractices became common
Exploitation of smaller groups
War conditions and industries
Post Independence
Tripartite Industries Conference in 1947 Dec for labour­employer relations (Truce for 3 year)

2. Impact of Industralisation
Guild Worker close knit social group
Industrial worker : work for long hours and receive low wages
Impact on Environment
Impact on Community
Agriculture as by employment
Cities filled with propertyless workers
Metropolitan lives
Increase in Slums in cities (industrial hubs)
Impact on family
Joint family system to nuclear family system
Loss of cultural values being given down from the family
Division of worker in “work self” and “family self”
Labour Problems in India
Absenteeism
Rural attachment and migratory character
Festivals
Industrial accidents
Alcoholism, gambling etc.
Working conditions
Differences in wages
Indebtedness
Lack of education
Lack of awareness
Labour turnover
Low productivity
Lack of scientific techniques
Definitions :
“efforts to make life worth living for worker”
­ Oxford Dictionary
“the voluntary efforts of the employers to establish within existing industrial system, working and sometimes
living and cultural conditions of the employees beyond what is required by law, the customs of the industry
and the conditions of the market.”
­ Encyclopedia of Social Sciences
Objectives of Labour Welfare
Humanitarism or social awareness: This is to enable workers to enjoy full and richer life, to improve the
efficiency of workers and to develop among them a sense of responsibility and dignity and thus make
them worthy citizens of nation
Desire to show off: to maintain position in the society.
However, workers in the unorganised sector, who constitute 90 per cent of the total workforce, by and large,
do not have access to such benefits. Steps need to be taken on a larger scale than before to improve the
quality of working life of the unorganised workers, including women workers.
Necessity
Article 38
“The State shall strive to promote the welfare of the people by securing and protecting as effectively as it
may a social order in which justice, social, economic and political, shall inform all the institutions of the
national life.”

3. Article 39
“The State shall, in particular, direct its policy towards securing – a> that the citizens, men and women
equally, have a right to an adequate means of livelihood, b> that the ownership and control of the material
resources of the community are so distributed as best to sub serve the common good, c>that the ration of
the economic system does not result in the concentration of wealth and means of production to the common
detriment, d> that there is equal pay for equal work for both men and women, e> that the health and
strength of workers, men and women, and the tender age of children are not abused and that citizens are
not forced by economic necessity to enter avocations unsuited to their age or strength, f> that childhood
and youth are protected against exploitation and against moral and material abandonment
Article 41
“the state shall, withing the limits of its economic capacity and development, make effective provision for
securing the right to work, to education, and to public assistance in cases of unemployment, old age,
sickness and disablement, and in other cases of undeserved want.”
Article 42
“The State shall make provision for securing just and humane conditions of work and for maternity relief.”
Article 43
“The State shall endeavour to secure, by suitable legislation or economic organisation or in any other way,
to all workers, agricultural, industrial or otherwise, work, a living wage, conditions of work ensuring a
decent standard of life and full enjoyment of leisure and social and cultural opportunities and, in
particular, the State shall endeavour to promote cottage industries on an individual or co­operative basis
in rural areas.”
Theories of Labour Welfare
Police Theory
Religious Theory
Philanthropic Theory
Trusteeship Theory
Placating Theory
Public Relations Theory
Functional Theory
Principles of Labour Welfare
Principle of Adequecy of wages
Principle of Social Responsibility
Principle of Efficiency
Principle of Re­personalisation
Principle of Totality of welfare
Principle of Co­ordination or integration
Principle of Association or democratic values
Principle of Responsibility
Principle of Accountability
Principle of Timeliness
Principle of Self­help
Classification of Labour Welfare
Statutory
Voluntary

4. Mutual
Labour Welfare Practices in India
Sanitary and hygenic facilities
Education and awareness for sanitation and hygiene in workers
Free from effluvia flowing from any drain or privy
Spitoons
Cleaning for the work area every 6 months
Colouring of work place every 3 years
Washing and urinals separate for males and females
Water provision near the work area
Coolers in summer season
Rest Facilities
Shelters, rest rooms and lunch rooms for factories employing more than 150 employees
No responsibility taken by the employers for this
Feeding facilities
Lockers, sitting and eating area in the place
Canteen for the factory which employs more than 250 or more employees,
Canteen for plantation for the plantations which employs more that 150 or more employees,
Nutritional food at affordable rate
Voluntarily providing canteen facilities by charging the employees
Medical facilities
ESI scheme
Compensation
First aid kit in factory having more that 50 employees
First aid kit and a nurse in factory employing more than 100 employees
Ambulance and dispensary for the factory employing more than 500 employees
This should have a doctor and nurse
Occupational health services
Specify an operation and declare it to be dangerous
Prohibit or restrict the employment of women, children or adolescents in the operation
Periodical medical examination of workers and prohibit those found unfit
Protection for employees
Restrict control the use of specified materials
Provision of milk and healthy food for employees involved in dangerous activities
Creche
Creche should be present in the organisation where more than 50 women employees are employed
Creche should provide all facilities including aayas and food facilities
Housing
Loans
Advances
Housing facilities

5. Transport facilities
Pass
Transport
Transportation for the shift workers
Recreational and cultural facilities
Physical, social, cultural and intellectual benefits
No priority for such facilities in India
Educational Facilities
Loans
Leaves
Unpaid leaves for further studies
Adult welfare centres
Schools for children
Loans for child education
Advances
Library facilities
Book banks
Vocational guidance
Staff training
Co­operatives and saving facilities
PF %
Fair prices shops
Supply schemes
Share capitals
Managerial subsidy
Co­operative Credit Societies
Loans
Various facilities for employees
Personal counselling
Counselling on various issues ranging from personal and official problems
Welfare or labour officers with HR managers involved into this
TSSL and TCS
Distress relief and cash benefit
Ex­ gratia payments for serious illness or injury, death
Ad­hoc reliefs based on benevolent approach
Programmes for Unorganised Workers
A statutory provision of minimum wages for employments has been included in the schedule to the
Minimum Wages Act, 1948. However, its coverage and implementation has been inadequate and the actual
wages on the ground are often much lower than those fixed by the appropriate Governments under the Act.
While the tendency to fix minimum wages at unrealis­tically high levels should be checked, implementation
of wages once fixed should be ensured. While machinery for enforcement of the Act has been strengthened
over the years and is also envisaged in the programmes included in the Plan, it is desirable that a greater
role is played by the workers' organisations, non­governmental voluntary organisations and organised trade

6. unions in ensuring implementation of minimum wages, instead of solely relying on the official enforcement
machinery.
Suitable organisational arrangements would need to be developed to provide a minimum measure of social
security for unorganised workers. A number of models are available for adoption. The Welfare Boards for
Mine Workers, Beedi and Cigar Workers etc. set up by the Government of India and financed out of the cess
levied on the production of the commodity concerned and the Welfare Boards for cashew workers and coir
workers set up by the Government of Kerala constitute one set of models.
Mutthadi Workers Board in Maharashtra and Jathu Hamal Boards being set up in Andhra Pradesh form the
second model. A third model is the set of insurance schemes launched by Governments of Gujarat, Kerala,
Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh for landless agricultural labourers. A fourth alternative is a Central Fund
with tripartite contribution (bi­partite in the case of the self employed). A National Child Labour Programme
has been taken up to make effective intervention to prevent exploitation of child labour in the unorganised
sector.
Nine Child Labour Projects with the main aim of suitable rehabilitation, of the children withdrawn from
employment, by providing them welfare inputs have been launched. Programmes for women labour include
financial assistance to voluntary organisations for taking up action­oriented projects, studies relating to
women labour, organisation of child care centres for the benefit of women workers, welfare projects for
women workers in the construction industry and strengthening of the enforcement of the provisions of the
Equal Remuneration Act.
The Rural Workers' Education Programmes, which cover landless labour, agricultural workers, marginal
farmers, fisheries labour, tribal labour, forest labour and rural artisans, are intended to help rural workers to
solve their problems through self­help and to develop their own organisations. The Central Board of
Workers' Education (CBWE) has developed schemes keeping in view the need to educate the workers on
industrial health, safety and environment as well as to develop leadership among workers.
As part of the national effort to increase the rate of literacy, especially among women and persons belonging
to SC/ST and other educationally disadvantaged and socio­economically backward groups as also workers in
unorganised sectors, the CBWE has been conducting Functional Adult Literacy Classes for workers engaged
in plantation and mining industries where illiteracy is predominant. During the Eighth Plan, literacy
programmes for the rural workers would be continued.
Plan outlay and expenditure ­Labour and Labour Welfare
(Rs. Crores)
Seventh Plan
Sector Eighth Plan
Outlay Actual Expenditure Outlay
Centre
95.44 102.00 451.00
864.39*
States & UTs. 238.28 383.14
Total 333.72 485.14 1315.39*
* Includes outlays for Special Employment Programmes.